1]Palassi se Vibhajan tak aur Uske Baad : Adhunik Bharat ka Itihas is the second edition of the most popular textbook Palassi se Vibhajan tak : Adhunik Bharat ka Itihas published by Orient BlackSwan. This enlarged version has been also termed as the second edition of this book.
2]This is the Hindi version of the most popular English textbook From Plassey to Partition and After published by Orient BlackSwan in 2015 which has also been termed as the second edition of this book.
3]The features of the revision are: a] A new Chapter 9 has been added. Chapter 9 titled ‘Swatantrata aur Vibhajan ke Pashchat’ [After Independence and Partition] is the last chapter of this book. This chapter covers the significant development taken place in the history of modern India until 2014. This chapter talks about the problems of partition and refugees; Nehruvian State and its policy; the decline of Congress party system; the major political development in coalition era; rise of the Dalit parties like BSP; and the environment movements like Chipko, Narmada Bachao andolan etc. This chapter also covers India-US Civil Nuclear Deals [ signed in 2008]; ASEAN; BRICS; and has also included a discussion on the spectacular come back of BJP led NDA. b] Updated Bibliography c]One new map ‘India in 1956’ has been added – which gives the reorganization of states after the independence in 1947. Whereas in the first edition Maps given were up till 1947. d]New Preface for the second edition e]New cover 4]This book is essentially a college level textbook on the history of Modern India. It is a general history of India under British rule from the eighteenth century to the events and movements up to 2014. It is divided in to nine thematic chapters which focus more on the Indian people than on the colonial rulers. In other words, it is a very useful account of the emergence of India as a nation and its development in contemporary times as of 2014. It is the most updated book on its subject as it incorporates most recent researches in this area of study.
5]From the prelims of this book: As the praise of the first edition : “The best and most objective account of the period” – Tony Ballantyne, New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies. “Accessible and thorough, this laudable textbook, will find place in every undergraduate’s essential reading list and in every history library.” – Partho Datta, The Book Review “This book takes into account the materialistic factors in [its] analysis, which makes [it] more comprehensive than many others.” – M. Abul Fazal, Dawn
Sekhar Bandyopadhyaya is Professor of Asian History and Director, New Zealand India Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He is also Associate Dean in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He has taught at Calcutta University and Kalayani University in India. He has written several articles in various journals and authored Caste, Politics and the Raj: Bengal, 1872-1937. Hisbook From Plassey to Partition : History of Modern India